


Like a Carriage Coach at Midnight

by Fereael



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Eiji gets revenge, Fluff, Halloween, M/M, Pumpkins, because pumpkins, everyone is happy and fine, except for Ash, lots and lots and LOTs of pumpkins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:06:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27310903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fereael/pseuds/Fereael
Summary: Ash gets on Eiji's nerves one time to many, so Eiji recruits Shorter and Yut Lung to get his revenge.Originally written for the Banana Fish A Perfect Day ZineHappy Pumpkin Day!
Relationships: Ash Lynx & Okumura Eiji, Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji
Comments: 1
Kudos: 74





	Like a Carriage Coach at Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween everyone! Enjoy the day! Because Ash sure wont Lol

“Why on earth would _I_ want to help _you_ with some ridiculous scheme?”

Yut-lung looked down his nose at Eiji. Sing was always telling him to be nicer to the older boy but there was not trying to murder him and then there was acting all buddy buddy, and this was too far.

“Oh, come on.” Shorter’s tone was wheedling. “At least hear him out.”

"Why should I?" Yut-lung turned on his heel and began striding toward the door.

“You like annoying Ash don't you?”

Yut lung froze mid step, then turned slowly to look back at Eiji. Had the puppy eyed photographer really just said what he thought he'd said?

“You have my attention...”

***

When Ash shouldered his way through the apartment building’s overly fancy revolving door, he was still thinking about the conflict he'd left behind on the street beyond it. Things were heating up again now that the gangs united under Arthur had fractured once more and on top of that a couple of new drug cartels were trying to set up camp in the void left behind by Dino. As usual the police were being about as useful as Arthur in a shooting range, meaning that, as usual, it was Ash’s job to make sure that the city didn't combust around his ears. Again. Not that Ash wasn't equal to the task but it was still making for an exhausting week, and on top of that he’d been arguing with Eiji again. The Photographer was being ridiculous, why couldn't he see that…”

“Ash.”

Ash’s head jerked up at the sound of his name and he saw that the source of the call was Cain, standing half in one of the elevators, a hand across the door to keep it from closing. Immediately Ash felt a wave of irritation wash over him. He had been so preoccupied that he hadn't even noticed the Black Sabbath leader waiting at the elevators in front of him, that sort of carelessness could get you killed.

“Cain.” Ash gave a nod of greeting and stepped into the elevator beside the other gang leader. As Cain allowed the elevator door to slide shut behind him and the elevator began to ascend Ash tried to figure out what brought the other to visit him so late in the evening. Probably Cain had herd of yet another round of gang conflict headed Ash’s direction and decided to give him a heads up. Ash appreciated the warning but…

“Late for your own party?” Cain let out a breath of amusement. “You would be.”

Ash snapped out of his thoughts with a jolt. It was the second time in as many minutes that Cain had caught him off-guard, but this time it was his words not his presence that had startled Ash.

“I… Party?"

“Yeah.” Cain frowned at him. “It's not like you to be so forget-oh.” Cain’s eyes widened in sudden comprehension. “You've been fighting with Eiji again haven't you?”

“I… How did you?”

Just then the elevator door slid open and he heard the sound of children's laughter echoing down the hallway.

“What the?”

As they exited the elevator the source of that laughter came running around the corner and spotted them.

“Ash! Cain!” Michael raced toward them.

“Finally! Took you long enough!” Skip grinned cheekily up at Ash as he bounded up, a step behind Michael.

Ash’s eyes widened, not so much at the sight of the two as at the sight of what they were wearing. Michael was wearing a black pointed hat and black cape wile Skip was dressed all in red with a tail hanging from his belt and horns poking out of his hair, and they were both carrying baskets; baskets in the shape of jack-o'-lanterns. Sudden realization of what day it must be crashed over Ash, and Cain’s words about a party and Eiji rang in the back of his mind like an alarm.

“He wouldn't have!”

Ash pushed past Michael, who was asking Cain for a piggyback ride, and Skip, who was trying to shove his monstrosity shaped candy basket under Ash’s nose, and took off for the apartment at a dead run. He slammed through the front door, noticing as he did so that more orange nightmare fuel seemed to have taped itself to the door, and froze. Before Ash was a scene straight from one of his childhood nightmares.

Ibe was taking a picture of Shorter, who was wrapped in zombie bandages and pretending to eat Nadia's brains while she batted at him in mock irritation. Sing, Alex, Kong, Bones, and Max, were all gathered around the coffee table playing some sort of card game. Jessica was standing over by a punch bowl that had magically appeared atop a side table, chatting animatedly with Yut-lung of all people. Yet it wasn't the sight Yut-lung casually snacking on what Ash furiously identified as _his_ last unopened package of shrimp, that so horrified Ash. No, that honor belongs to the pumpkins.

Grinning jack-o'-lanterns wrapped their way around the edges of the entire room, breaking only at doorways. Smaller jack-o'-lanterns surrounded the television, on which played some movie in which pumpkins seemed to feature heavily. Every one of the room's occupants had one of the cursed candy baskets and there were cardboard pumpkins taped over the bedroom door. Someone had even hung a string of glowing bats, and yes, pumpkins, around the entire room.

As Ash stood in the doorway, trying to take in the apocalyptic landscape before him the devil who was, undoubtedly, responsible for this nightmare stepped into view. He was wearing a white tattered robe, evidently meant to resemble a ghost and a pumpkin head which he had pushed back off of his face, presumably so it wouldn't get in the way when he got the cookies he was now carrying out of the oven. Cookies which were, yes, shaped like pumpkins.

“Oh, Ash,” it was Jessica who spotted him first, breaking off her conversation with the shrimp stealing brat to waive cheerfully at him, a gleam of amusement in her eyes. “Why are you standing in the doorway? You should come try some of this punch, it's pumpkin flavored.”

That did it.

Ash stormed across the room and grabbed Eiji’s arm just as he finished lowering the tray of cookies onto the table next to the card players. He ignored the mixture of surprise exclamations and snide comments coming from the room around him, as well as the sounds of protest coming from Eiji himself. He even ignored Yut-lung’s smug smile as, doing his best to pretend he couldn't see his surroundings, Ash dragged Eiji across the room. He shoved open the door of their blissfully pumpkin-free bedroom, pulled Eiji through it, and slammed it forcibly behind him.

Ash spun around to face his opponent and took a hasty step back, realizing as he did so that he’d made a tactical error. The bedroom was no longer a safe zone for Eiji still had that abomination perched on the back of his head.

Ash clenched his hands into fists, trying to calm his racing heart.

“What the hell, do you think you're doing?” Ash growled from between gritted teeth.

“Throwing a Halloween party of course.” Eiji grinned guilelessly up at him.

“You know what I mean, where did you get all these, all these…”

“Oh you mean the decorations?” Eiji’s grin became rather less innocent. “Yut-lung bought them all and Shorter help us put them up. Do you like them?”

“Do I… Do I _like_ them…” Ash spluttered. “What the hell kind of question is that?”

“Well decorating for the holidays is at least something to do while I’m stuck here like you want.”

Of course that's what this was about.

“Eiji, we've been over this! Things are heating up in the city again, it's not safe for you until I can get things back under control! You insisted on staying even when your mother wanted you to go home. It's not like I'm forcing you to…”

“I decided to stay but that doesn't mean you get to put me in a birdcage Ash!” Eiji’s raised voice drowned out Ash’s.

“Well I'm sorry I don't want you getting shot up again!” Ash snapped back.

“Then how do you think I feel?” Eiji’s shout had so much raw emotion in it that it took Ash aback. “Have you ever considered that Ash? Have you ever considered how many times I almost lost you?”

“I…”

“I know I scared you Ash, I know that but,” Eiji’s voice softened. He reached out, taking hold of one of Ash’s hands and bringing it to his chest so that Ash could feel the beat of Eiji’s heart beneath the ridiculous robe. “I’m still here Ash, I'm not going anywhere.”

“I thought I'd lost you…” Ash whispered, leaning forward to wrap his free arm around the older boy, or at least that's what he meant to do. Before he could however his forehead knocked against something plastic and he jumped back in shocked as he came face-to-face with the horror. He had completely forgotten it.

Eiji doubled over in laughter at the look on Ash’s face.

“It's not funny!” Ash snapped, his cheeks going red.

“It is though.” Eiji grinned. “But you know, this is exactly the sort of thing you should be afraid of.”

“huh?”

“Pumpkins, not guns or what's waiting for me around every corner, just pumpkins.”

Ash started to glare but halfway through the motion his facial expression turn into a slight smile instead.

“Yeah… I guess you have a point.”

When Eiji put it that way, well maybe he could grow to tolerate the monstrosities after all.


End file.
